At the end of her 2:00 p.m. ET hour show on Monday, MSNBC anchor Katy Tur laughably told her liberal viewers that the reliably left-wing cable channel was not their “safe space” and that “news should make you uncomfortable.” She made those claims just seconds after playing a clip of herself lecturing Trump supporters at a rally in defense of overwhelmingly negative media coverage of the President.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a problem. As Americans, we cannot have our own facts. We can’t just watch one channel because we like what they say,” Tur scolded. After featuring soundbites of Trump supporters expressing distrust in the media, the host didn’t let her own audience off the hook:
I can almost feel a lot of you snickering at home, snickering at those two Trump supporters, but I will tell you, it is not just Trump supporters who retreat into their own echo chambers. Every time I have a Republican on this show, I get a flood of angry tweets, “How dare you put on a Republican, they’re all liars.” “MSNBC is my safe space,” someone said on Twitter.
Despite all evidence to the contrary, Tur asserted that wasn’t the goal of the wildly biased news channel:
Public service announcement, we are not your safe space. We are a news organization. We bring you the news. News comes from both sides. Opinions, even if you hate them, come from both sides. Yes, a journalist’s job is to find facts, but it is also our job to shed a light on what is happening in the country, what is happening in our communities. Shed a light on what people are saying and thinking, what motivates them, even if you disagree with them.
She concluded: “The news should make you uncomfortable. If everything you read or watch gives you comfort, you’re doing it wrong.”
When talking to the attendees of a Trump midterm campaign rally in Georgia, Tur wondered: “You don’t believe the news? You don’t believe the mainstream media?” One man replied: “No, I don’t....When, what is it, 90-something percent is negative toward Trump, what do you think?” She pushed back: “Most of the coverage for any politician is negative because it’s not our job to be a PR person for any politician....if you think the truth is negative, that’s not our fault.” The man countered: “If you’re leaning 90% one way, how can it be the truth? It can’t be.”
Media Research Center studies have consistently found network news coverage of the Trump administration to be around 90% negative.
If Tur really wants to dispel the notion of MSNBC being a “safe space” for Democrats and liberal activists, perhaps she and her colleagues should take it to heart when Republican voters call out their biased coverage and actually make some effort provide balanced reporting. Unfortunately, the channel’s business model is clearly based on only appealing to one side.
Here are excerpts of the November 5 segment:
2:56 PM ET
KATY TUR: And one more thing before we go. Yesterday, I went to my first Trump rally since the transition. After 510 days on the road with him in the 2016 cycle, Sunday was my first time back in two years. It was my first Trump rally in two years. And it was like walking into a time machine. Absolutely nothing had changed. The same adoring crowds, the same MAGA gear, the same “Lock her up” chants. Except now, Donald Trump is the President of the United States. He didn’t land in his plane, he landed in Air Force One. I talked to a lot of supporters and wanted to get an idea of where they got their news and what they thought about the current headlines coming out of Georgia.
(...)
TUR: You don’t believe the news? You don't believe the mainstream media?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN A [TRUMP SUPPORTER]: No, I don’t.
TUR: Why?
MAN: When, what is it, 90-something percent is negative toward Trump, what do you think?
TUR: He even said the other day that he tries to tell the truth. He’s admitting he doesn’t tell the truth a lot. Do you mind that he’s not honest?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN B [TRUMP SUPPORTER]: I feel like he is for the most part. I feel like he’s portrayed by media a lot of times as –
TUR: By us?
MAN B: Well, not necessarily, but sometimes, as being dishonest. But I think he’s doing the best job that he can.
TUR: Most of the coverage for any politician is negative because it’s not our job to be a PR person for any politician.
MAN A: It’s your job to tell the truth.
TUR: Exactly. But if you think the truth is negative, that’s not our fault.
MAN A: If you’re leaning 90% one way, how can it be the truth? It can’t be.
TUR: But that’s the way you read the facts. If you read the facts as negative, then maybe you should take issue with the problems.
MAN A: I watch both sides, believe me. I watch both sides.
(...)
TUR: Where do you get your most trustworthy information?
MAN A: Trustworthy information? Probably Tucker Carlson. I would think he would – I don’t see why he would lie.
TUR: How do you know it's true?
MAN A: How do I know he’s true? I research the facts he gives me.
TUR: How do you decide who you’re gonna trust?
MAN B: I think a lot of it’s common sense. You know, pray about it, think about it. If it sounds right, it is right.
TUR: Ladies and gentlemen, we have a problem. As Americans, we cannot have our own facts. We can’t just watch one channel because we like what they say. I can almost feel a lot of you snickering at home, snickering at those two Trump supporters, but I will tell you, it is not just Trump supporters who retreat into their own echo chambers. Every time I have a Republican on this show, I get a flood of angry tweets, “How dare you put on a Republican, they’re all liars.” “MSNBC is my safe space,” someone said on Twitter.
Public service announcement, we are not your safe space. We are a news organization. We bring you the news. News comes from both sides. Opinions, even if you hate them, come from both sides. Yes, a journalist’s job is to find facts, but it is also our job to shed a light on what is happening in the country, what is happening in our communities. Shed a light on what people are saying and thinking, what motivates them, even if you disagree with them. The news should make you uncomfortable. If everything you read or watch gives you comfort, you’re doing it wrong.
